Chip sealing involves applying a layer of oil to the street and covering it with surfacing material, generally a layer of small stones. After the oil has cured (approximately five to ten days) excess material will be swept by a mechanical street sweeper. There is no charge to property owners for chip sealing.

In conjunction with Engineering's program, the Streets Division also selects a few segments for Engineering to treat with chip sealing. The number of roadways the Streets Division can choose varies from year to year and is dependent upon available budget space for Engineering's project. In most instances, the Streets Division will choose unimproved streets for chip sealing. Unimproved streets are ones without curb and gutter.